Baking Heaven April 2020

The richness of

the mousse is

balanced by cherries

mixed with whisky

62 baking heaven APRIL WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM

Soy sauce

butterscotch

brownies

MAKES 12

150g (5oz) light brown sugar

50g (2oz) vegan butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp soy/almond/oat milk

For the brownies

200g (7oz) vegan butter

300g (10½oz) 60-80% dark

chocolate, chopped

200g (7oz) light brown sugar

80g (3oz) caster sugar

4 tbsp ground flaxseed combined

with 180ml (6fl oz) water or soy/

almond/oat milk, or 4 eggs’

worth of egg replacer, prepared

according to the package

100g (3½oz) plain flour

30g (1oz) cocoa powder

¼ tsp salt

icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

1 To make the butterscotch, melt the

sugar and vegan butter together in a

saucepan over a medium heat,

stirring frequently. When the sugar is

dissolved and bubbly, add the vanilla,

soy sauce and plant milk. Bring to the

boil and cook for about 5 minutes,

then remove from the heat.

2 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to

180°C/Gas Mark 6. Line a 30x20cm

(12x8in) baking tray with

baking parchment.

3 For the brownies, melt the vegan

butter in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Put the chocolate into a bowl, pour over

the hot melted butter and stir together to

melt the chocolate. Whisk in the sugars

and flaxseed mixture or egg replacer. Sift

in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then

stir everything together until no bits of

flour remain.

4 Pour the brownie batter into the

prepared tray, then pour over the

butterscotch. Use a butter knife or

chopstick to swirl the batter and the

butterscotch together. Bake for

40-45 minutes. Shake the pan to check

if the brownies are done – the middle

should jiggle ever so slightly. Leave to

cool completely before cutting

into squares.

Chocolate mousse

with boozy

cherries and miso-

roasted pecans

SERVES 4

For the miso-roasted pecans

1 tbsp miso

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp caster sugar

60g (2oz) pecan halves

For the mousse

175ml (6fl oz) water

200g (7oz) dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

ice, for chilling

To finish

1 x 400g (14oz) tin of cherry pie

filling

4 tbsp Japanese whisky or

bourbon, or any not-too-smoky

whisky

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas

Mark 4.

2 To make the miso-roasted pecans,

mix together the miso, sesame oil and

sugar in a bowl. Use your hands to coat

the pecans with the miso mixture, then

spread out on a baking sheet and roast

for 10-15 minutes (check them after 10),

until deep brown. Remove from the

oven and leave to cool.

3 To make the mousse, bring the water to

a simmer, then add the chocolate and

vanilla extract. Simmer until the chocolate

is completely melted, then pour into a

mixing bowl. Place this bowl inside

another bowl half-filled with ice and a bit

of water, then whisk the chocolate water

as if you were whipping cream. As it cools

it will thicken and aerate – stop whipping

when the chocolate holds a trail, NOT

when it forms peaks, because it is very

easy to over-whip. However, if the

mixture siezes up and goes grainy, you

can just re-melt the chocolate and

start over.

4 Scoop the mousse into glasses

(ideally crystal so it all looks sufficiently

1970s!). Stir the cherry pie filling

together with the whisky, then spoon

that on top of the mousse. Cover and

refrigerate until 30 minutes before

serving. Garnish with the miso pecans

just before tucking in.

The almond jelly on

page 61 and the

recipes on page

62 are taken from

Vegan JapanEasy

by Tim Anderson,

published by Hardie

Grant Books (£22).

Photography by

Nassima Rothacker.